Dick Dusseldorp
Encyclopedia
Gerardus Jozef Dusseldorp AO (2 December 191822 April 2000) was a Dutch
engineer
and the founder of Civil and Civic
, the financing arm of which later emerged as Lend Lease Corporation
, one of Australia
's largest companies.
in Holland
in December 1918, Gerardus Dusseldorp was known as Dik as a child, the anglicised version of which stuck with him for the rest of his life. During World War II
, as a Dutchman
of working age, he was deported to Berlin
, to work as forced labour. Returning to Holland
, he secured work with a Danish
firm building a railway from Copenhagen
to Hamburg
. In late 1943 he was transported to Kraków
, again as forced labour but this time for the Siemens Organisation
. In Summer 1944 he escaped and returned again to Holland
.
In 1945 he and his brother Hank secured jobs at Bredero's Bouwbedrijf, a Dutch housebuilder established in the 1870s. By 1947 he had been promoted to Construction Manager. In March 1951 Bredero's sent him to Australia
to seek out business opportunities: there he established Civil and Civic
, the success of which was based on the principle that the designer should be employed by the contractor rather than the other way round. In 1957 he secured the contract to build the podium for the Sydney Opera House
and, having established his reputation, built the business into an international concern. He went on to establish a financing arm for Civil and Civic
; this emerged as Lend Lease Corporation
of which he was Chairman for many years.
He eventually retired from the business in 1988 and in retirement became a significant philanthropist
. He was the founder of the Dusseldorp Skills Forum, an organisation that develops and advances the innovative practices of those who engage young Australians in acquiring skills. He died in April 2000.
.
suburbs, one of them being the prestigious Middle Cove
where the Dusseldorp family lived from 1959 until 2004. The house which Dusseldorp built in Middle Cove
is one of the top five house designs in Australia: it is based on Frank Lloyd Wright
's inspirational honeycomb house design and is a good example of Organic Architecture
.
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and the founder of Civil and Civic
Civil and Civic
Civil and Civic was an Australian company acquired in 1961 by Lend Lease Corporation.-History:...
, the financing arm of which later emerged as Lend Lease Corporation
Lend Lease Corporation
Lend Lease Group is a global property and infrastructure company headquartered in Sydney, Australia...
, one of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's largest companies.
Career
Born in UtrechtUtrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
in Holland
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in December 1918, Gerardus Dusseldorp was known as Dik as a child, the anglicised version of which stuck with him for the rest of his life. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, as a Dutchman
Netherland
Netherland is a critically acclaimed novel by Joseph O'Neill. It concerns the life of a Dutchman living in New York in the wake of the September 11 attacks who takes up cricket and starts playing at the Staten Island Cricket Club.-Plot summary:...
of working age, he was deported to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, to work as forced labour. Returning to Holland
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, he secured work with a Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
firm building a railway from Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. In late 1943 he was transported to Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, again as forced labour but this time for the Siemens Organisation
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
. In Summer 1944 he escaped and returned again to Holland
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
In 1945 he and his brother Hank secured jobs at Bredero's Bouwbedrijf, a Dutch housebuilder established in the 1870s. By 1947 he had been promoted to Construction Manager. In March 1951 Bredero's sent him to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
to seek out business opportunities: there he established Civil and Civic
Civil and Civic
Civil and Civic was an Australian company acquired in 1961 by Lend Lease Corporation.-History:...
, the success of which was based on the principle that the designer should be employed by the contractor rather than the other way round. In 1957 he secured the contract to build the podium for the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
and, having established his reputation, built the business into an international concern. He went on to establish a financing arm for Civil and Civic
Civil and Civic
Civil and Civic was an Australian company acquired in 1961 by Lend Lease Corporation.-History:...
; this emerged as Lend Lease Corporation
Lend Lease Corporation
Lend Lease Group is a global property and infrastructure company headquartered in Sydney, Australia...
of which he was Chairman for many years.
He eventually retired from the business in 1988 and in retirement became a significant philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
. He was the founder of the Dusseldorp Skills Forum, an organisation that develops and advances the innovative practices of those who engage young Australians in acquiring skills. He died in April 2000.
Honours
On Australia Day 1988 he was appointed an Honorary Officer of the Order of AustraliaOrder of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
.
Legacy
Dusseldorp was the founder of two SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
suburbs, one of them being the prestigious Middle Cove
Middle Cove
Middle Cove may refer to:* Middle Cove, New South Wales, Australia* Middle Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada...
where the Dusseldorp family lived from 1959 until 2004. The house which Dusseldorp built in Middle Cove
Middle Cove
Middle Cove may refer to:* Middle Cove, New South Wales, Australia* Middle Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada...
is one of the top five house designs in Australia: it is based on Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
's inspirational honeycomb house design and is a good example of Organic Architecture
Organic architecture
Organic architecture is a philosophy of architecture which promotes harmony between human habitation and the natural world through design approaches so sympathetic and well integrated with its site that buildings, furnishings, and surroundings become part of a unified, interrelated...
.
Further reading
- Finding a common interest - The story of Dick Dusseldorp and Lend Lease By Lindie Clark, Cambridge University Press, 2002 ISBN 978-0521825313